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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · hand · lean · press · pop · stock · wax · bulb

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pop — music
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bulb — for light
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lean — to bend
  13. hand — help
  14. stock — goods
  15. pop — to visit
  16. file — a document
  17. bulb — for light
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — to push
  22. pop — soda
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com